Gran Canaria Holidays is the perfect place to start planning your next vacation to the Canary Islands, Spain

Gran Canaria Holidays, the best way to de-stress!

Where is Gran Canaria?

Gran Canaria is an island of the Canary Islands. Loosely translated it means Grand Canary, and on some maps that is what it is called. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean about 90 miles off the northwestern coast of Africa, and about 850 miles from Europe. When you are taking Gran Canaria holidays, you are vacationing in Spain, even though you are  much closer to Africa than you are to Spain.

Gran Canaria is the most populated island of the Canary Islands after Tenerife. It is the third extension in the Canary Islands. Some reports suggest that Gran Canaria was formerly named el Rondo, due to its circular shape. Gran Canaria is located southeast of Tenerife and west Fuerteventura.

Details about Gran Canaria

The island is of volcanic origin, mostly made of fissure vents. The diameter of the island is approximately 30 miles, which is really quite small and that means you can get to most destinations easily on any given day.

The population of the island is approximately 820,000, with almost 400,000 of those living in the capital city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The western and northwestern parts of the island have the fewest tourists, and also the best highways.  The Gran Canaria International Airport is the only airport on Gan Canaria. It is one of the busiest airports in Spain.

Weather you can expect for your Gran Canaria Holidays

Gran Canaria's average daytime highs range from 68°  to 78°  in the summer.  Although there are some cool nights in the winter, lows below 50° are unknown near the coast.  Inland, the climate is still mild but the mountain areas will see occasional frost or snow. Annual rainfall averages 8 inches, with most of this falling in the cooler months and July, August, and September being normally rainless.

The rainfall is not distributed evenly through the island, some areas are much drier than others. Cloud covered sunshine is often the norm during the cooler months, and there can be several cloudy days at times in the winter. Summers are generally quite sunny however, with the south of the island being most favored.

The island is called a miniature continent, because of the different climates found on the island. It has long golden beaches and endless dunes of white sand, green valleys and picturesque villages.

A third of the island is under protection as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.  The island possesses 32 natural protected spaces, with the more well-known ones being the rural park of Nublo, Doramas Jungle, the ravine of Azuaje, Tamadaba, and Pino Santo.

Tourism on Gran Canaria

Most of the annual 2.2 million tourists every year visit the southern part of the island because the north is generally cooler and the South is warmer and sunny. The east coast of the island is flat, dotted with beaches and the western coast is rockier and mountainous.  Most of the tourist traffic is in the south of the island, which is sunnier and has less rain than north and this is where most people end up when taking Gran Canaria holidays.

Just below the airport in the town of Vecindario is a large shopping center called Commercial Atlantico with a large mall. In the South is a large bird park, as well as many beach resorts.

Some of the better-known resort communities include the towns of San Augustin, Playa Del Inglis, Sonnenland, and Maspalomas.  When planning your Gran Canaria holidays you will want to consider if you want to avoid or embrace the tourist areas.  With Gran Canaria being so small in area, it may be the place where you can get accommodations in a quiet area and still be able to enjoy the tourist areas.

The dunes of Maspalomas are a well known tourist attraction, along with the lighthouse.

On the southern shore, in the municipality of Mogan is Puerto Mogan, a picturesque village referred to as Little Venice because of its many canals.

So no matter which section of the island you intend to visit, with just a little planning and research, you will always be able to enjoy your Gran Canaria Holidays

Learn all about the island of Gran Canaria.  There is so much to see and do on this small island that is called the little continent.  Where else can you go to enjoy a a vacation that has it all within a short distance to each other.

Beaches Mountains Desert Hiking Biking Diving

No matter what you like to do on your vacation, you are sure to find something to tickle your fancy on Gran Canaria.  And if you have a diverse family that like different things on their holidays, there is no better place than Gran Canaria to allow everyone access to the activities they enjoy while still being able to spend time together as a family.

Love To Try Scuba Diving On Gran Canaria?

Water Parks On Gran Canaria

Have you heard of Aqua sur in Gran Canaria? This is one awesome water park! Spend the here having a great time in the sun.

Visit Weather In Gran Canaria

Visit Playa del Ingles

Visit Flights To Gran Canaria

Visit Dunas Maspalomas

Visit Cheap Holidays Gran Canaria

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